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en-usCopyright 2015 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid and Dan RothThe podcast by the people who obsessively cover the auto industry.http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/03/jaguar-land-rover-talks-evs/http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/03/jaguar-land-rover-talks-evs/http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/03/jaguar-land-rover-talks-evs/#commentsFiled under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volkswagen, Asia, Germany, Racing

A new study out of Germany suggests adopting a modular approach to battery offerings in plug-in hybrid and extended range electric vehicles. Automakers could offer the same car with different battery sizes (and different costs, accordingly) to drivers depending on their driving ranges. This would optimize the total cost of ownership for various drivers better than the current approach. Developing a modular battery design and offering appropriate batteries for different customers "is the key for electric powertrains to meet customer expectations and become cost competitive against conventional technologies," according to the report from the Institute of Vehicle Concepts, German Aerospace Center. Learn more at Green Car Congress.

Jaguar and Land Rover are looking to offer more electric driving from their vehicles. Wolfgang Ziebart, head of product development for Jaguar Land Rover, said in an interview that its hybrid system is being tweaked for more electric power and "downsized" combustion. He also said the likely target market for EVs would be second and third vehicles, rather than primary vehicles for urban driving. Within that market, Europeans look for something smaller, while American drivers lean toward larger luxury vehicles for their second car. Ziebart uses the Tesla Model S as an example of American tastes, and compares its size to that of the Jaguar XJ. Read more at Automotive News Europe.

Thailand will likely approve a Volkswagen factory as early as next week. A German newspaper suggests that Thailand's Board of Investment is set to greenlight the plant, which is planned for a site near the Port of Bangkok. Thailand is a relatively large and growing auto manufacturing country, which seeks to be a major producer of eco-friendly vehicles. The country's "Eco2" program would provide incentives to Volkswagen if it builds clean cars and meets certain production targets. Read more at Reuters.

Formula E has chosen Sky Deutschland for broadcasting rights in the German market. The deal includes television rights, as well as online broadcasting. Sky Deutschland has 3.8 million subscribers in Germany and Austria. Showing the races on Germany's largest pay television provider should help generate interest for the series, particularly the Berlin ePrix - the inaugural season's penultimate race - scheduled for May 30, 2015. Read more at the Formula E website.

For JaguarLand Rover, a dual-energy-source powertain requires a two-company investment. Word is, JLR is looking for a partner to develop a cleaner, better hybrid powertrain. The vehicle maker, long known for its SUVs and really heavy cars, is in discussions with other automakers about joining up on a hybrid collaboration, Automotive News says, citing Wolfgang Epple, the company's head of research and technology.

Of course, Epple didn't say who Jaguar Land Rover was talking to, but the executive does have prior experience developing electrified powertrains for General Motors, BMW and Chrysler, so read into that as you may. Jaguar Land Rover needs to get busy, since it is charged with reducing fleetwide emissions by about 20 percent just to meet the European Commission's 2015 emissions mandate in the near term, and the broader mandate only gets stricter towards the end of the decade.

Jaguar Land Rover is slated to debut its first production hybrid next year with the Range Rover Hybrid. That model, unveiled last month at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, pairs a 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine with a 47-horsepower electric motor, providing 355 horsepower and an official fuel economy rating of about 37 miles per gallon. Having recently road-tested the model on a grueling 10,000-mile Silk Road voyage from London to Mumbai, the company says that hybrid cuts emissions by 26 percent, compared to the conventional Range Rover. Too bad it won't be available in the US.

The UK-based automaker's XJ_e plug-in hybrid won two awards in the Royal Auto Club's (RAC) Future Car Challenge, including Most Energy Efficient Luxury Car and the Technical Panel's Award of Merit.

The Jag, which competed with cars from automakers such as Renault, BMW and General Motors' Vauxhall unit, achieved a 112 miles-per-gallon-equivalent on the 63-mile jaunt from Brighton to London. The Renault Zoe electric vehicle won the overall award for most energy-efficient vehicle.

The XJ_e pairs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 69-kilowatt electric motor and a 12.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Jaguar has said the car can go 25 miles in electric-only mode and gets 61.2 miles per gallon, per the more-lenient European driving cycle.

The first diesel Jaguar XF has arrived in the United States. But it's not destined for a showroom, and it's not headed to a waiting customer. No, Jaguar has slightly more ambitious plans for this particular oil-burning sedan.

The 2.2-liter diesel four will propel this XF on a cross-country journey that will take it from New York to Los Angeles - a trip across eleven states and 2,800 miles - over the course of seven days. The goal is to see how far the car can travel on a single tank of fuel, and follows a similar exercise undertaken in Europe that took another XF diesel across 816 miles from Castle Bromwich in the UK to Munich, Germany, on a single tank, returning an average of 57 miles per gallon.

Observers can track this trip's progress on the company's Facebook page and Twitter feed, and we'll be sure to report on the venture's results once it's reached the Pacific coast. Details in the press release after the jump.

JaguarLand Rover (JLR) has announced it will invest £355 million ($484 million U.S. at the current exchange rate) to construct a state-of-the-art advanced engine facility in the UK, as the automaker seeks growth by addressing global demand for low-emission gasoline and diesel engines.

Announced by the automaker's chief executive officer, Dr. Ralf Speth, JLR will use this soon-to-be constructed facility to design, engineer and manufacture advanced four-cylinder engines for future Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. Full details on the engines that will be developed at the UK site are not available, but the automaker has confirmed that both gasoline and diesel engines are part of the scheme. Additional reports suggest electric motors and hybrid powertrains are included in JLR's game plan, as well. At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover reps were telling the media that the brand's first hybrid vehicles should be coming in 2013, with plug-ins to follow a year later.

Powered by a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine that spits out 376 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, the Jaguar C-X16 "production concept" takes Jag into the future with the addition of the automaker's "Push to Pass" steering wheel-mounted button.

"Push to Pass" is Jaguar speak for hybrid-on-demand. The C-X16 concept comes packing an electric motor that's integrated into the stylish coupe's eight-speed gearbox. This electric motor whips out an additional 92 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque at the push of a button. Jaguar says this allows the C-X16 to scoot from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 186 mph.

The Jaguar C-X16 concept will make its world debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in less than a week's time and you can bet we'll have loads of pics and details when it hits the stage. For now, check out video and a press blast after the jump.

This morning a gigantic cat jumped out of a secret little bag when Jaguar announced it has teamed with Williams F1 to build a production version of the C-X75 supercar. The 2010 Paris Motor Show-stopper in concept form was powered by two mid-mounted turbines, but the four-wheel-drive production model will swap those for a low displacement, highly boosted four-cylinder engine mated to "two powerful electric motors," one at each axle.

Williams' contribution will be in the areas of aerodynamics - the production version will maintain the concept's all-composite body, and the integration of the hybrid powertrain that will take from the lessons JLR is learning from its Jaguar Limo Green and Land Rover Range E. Horsepower numbers haven't been revealed, but the hybrid master blaster is targeting CO2 emissions of less than 99 grams per kilometer and all-electric running possible for 31 miles, along with a sub-three-second 0-to-60 time and a top speed beyond 200 miles per hour.

Only 250 will be built and they'll start at £700,000 ($1.149 million U.S. based on current exchange rates) "depending on local market and taxes." However, Jaguar hasn't said when they'll be built, offering nothing more than "within the timescales of a conventional model programme." That sounds like about four years to us, plenty of time to save enough to buy one of the door handles.

There's a document from ATT Williams F1 with more information after the jump, and diehards can view the morning's press conference on-demand. And to think we were worried about the future of fun cars. Now we only need to worry about the future of our bank accounts... Hat tips to Adi and Dane!

Back in November 2010, JaguarLand Rover announced that it was investing heavily in infrastructure, research and development and advanced technologies. Such plans require intensive product development within a limited time frame and it is because of this the company has enlisted the assistance of Ricardo as a key strategic supplier.

This latest development continues a longstanding relationship between the two firms. The two have, as part of the UK's Technology Strategy Board, worked on advanced technology projects that include:

An innovative 2/4SIGHT engine, which is capable of running on either the two stroke cycle or the four stroke cycle.

The Limo-Green project, which incorporates the aluminum structure of Jaguar's sedan range with an electric motor, battery pack and generator.

Recycled aluminum as the basis of a lightweight, mass-produced vehicle.

More often than not, Ricardo's development team engineers cutting-edge products. With that said, we'd expect to see Jaguar Land Rover's upcoming vehicles feature more than a dash of Ricardo's advanced technologies.

Jaguar has been mulling the idea of taking another stab at the venerable BMW 3 Series after its last attempt, the underwhelming X-Type, failed in spectacular fashion. This is the other stab.

The Jagaur B99 concept is a team effort between Jag and Bertone and serves as way for Bertone to celebrate its 99th Anniversary. The new compact Jag's name is a melding of the company's first initial and its age - it has nothing to do with biodiesel.

Bertone says the concept is a design study in what it calls "dynamic imbalance" between parallel lines and "leaping forms."

It represents not only Bertone's new direction and a possible answer to the ubiquitous 3 Series, but a big leap in terms of technology. The B99 is powered by an all-new extended-range hybrid drivetrain designed by Bertone to run on two electric motors whose batteries can draw a charge from a small onboard engine. Bertone says they've been looking into sustainable energies for the last two decades and the B99 is the top of that evolution chain.

Bertone also presented a race car iteration of the B99 Concept (inset, right), saying it is working on a GT2 version of the B99 in hopes of proving the car is not just a pretty face.

Here's another feather for Jay Leno's cap. The Tonight Show host can officially say that he is one of only a handful of drivers to have slipped their way behind the wheel of the amazing Jaguar C-X75 concept from this year's Paris Motor Show. Penned by design guru Ian Callum, the supercar is as sexy as it is advanced. The vehicle gets its power from a quartet of electric motors that are good for 195 horsepower each. Throw in two small turbine engines for generating power and you've got one very unconventional extended-range hybrid.

The C-X75 was designed to celebrate the Leaping Cat's diamond anniversary, and as such, the company pulled all the stops. With a design that pulls from the most successful points in Jaguar history, the car is nothing short of gorgeous. Will it make it to production? We're not sure, but for the moment, you can hit the jump to watch Leno take it all in - and don't forget to watch for an appearance by Callum, too.

Yesterday's big surprise at the Paris Motor Show was the range-extended electric supercar from Jaguar, the C-X75 Concept. Built to celebrate the marque's 75th anniversary, the concept looks forward to the future while honoring Jaguar's heritage and design. Featuring four electric motors producing 195 horsepower at each wheel, along with two micro-gas turbines that - in theory - charge the batteries, the C-X75 can top 205 mph and has a projected combined range of 560 miles. Jaguar says it has no plans to produce the car, although it would be more than a worthy successor to the notorious XJ220.

From our vantage point, we're split on the looks. While most of us think it's stunning - especially in person - there's a vocal minority that doesn't think it looks "Jaguar" enough. Truth be told, it doesn't necessarily look like any Jaguar road car ever built, but it's easy to see that inspiration was taken from the 1966 Jaguar XJ13 race car.

You can see all of our photos from the live debut in the gallery below, or for full details on the car hit the jump for the press release.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>c-x75 conceptjaguarjaguar c-x75 conceptparisparis 2010paris motor showparis motor show 2010Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:54:00 ESThttp://green.autoblog.com/feed/19655317/article-comments.xmlhttp://green.autoblog.com/feed/19655317/article-comments.htmlhttp://green.autoblog.com/feed/2010/09/30/paris-2010-jaguar-c-x75-concept/19655317/article-detail.xml19655317http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/leadjaguarxc75parislive_thumbnail.jpghttp://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/leadjaguarxc75parislive.jpghttp://green.autoblog.com/2010/09/21/uk-automakers-prototype-flywheel-hybrid-system-with-claimed-20/http://green.autoblog.com/2010/09/21/uk-automakers-prototype-flywheel-hybrid-system-with-claimed-20/http://green.autoblog.com/2010/09/21/uk-automakers-prototype-flywheel-hybrid-system-with-claimed-20/#commentsFiled under: Hybrid, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Green DailyWhen you pair up automakers like Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford, with hybrid powertrain developer Flybrid Systems, engineering consultants Prodrive and Ricardo and transmissions experts Torotrak and Xtrac, you'll either end up with a load of industry experts duking it out over some trivial aspect of a vehicle, or, as in this case, a collective group of like-minded people working at specialized companies that possess the ability to get 'er done.

This consortium, partially funded by the UK's Technology Strategy Board, displayed its jointly developed prototype flywheel hybrid system for premium vehicles (FHPV) at the Low Carbon Vehicle event held in the UK a few days ago. The FHPV system utilizes a flywheel developed by Flybrid System, a CVT built by Xtrac that incorporates Torotrak's traction drive technology and an integrated software system developed by Prodrive.

The system is expected to add up to 60kW of recovered energy and is predicted to demonstrate fuel economy gains of up to 20 percent. Testing of the FHPV system is already underway and Ford Motor Company is examining the possibly of adding the flywheel-CVT system to its future vehicles. In addition, Pete Richings, chief engineer for Jaguar-Land Rover, believes that implementation of the FHPV system could benefit the company, stating:

This research project explores the potential for more efficient and cost-competitive hybrid drivetrains that improve fuel economy while enhancing standards of vehicle refinement and performance. We have investigated the base technology, built the prototype and will be testing it in the next few months to see if it lives up to its potential.

A 20 percent boost in efficiency is certainly remarkable, but we'll hold back our final judgment on this one until testing either confirms or denies that impressive claim.

Four different auto companies, all working together in the UK electric car consortium (along with Axeon, EVO Electric and Xtrac) called REEVolution. As the name kind of gives away, the goal is to "expand and enhance technology" used in extended-range electric vehicles in the premium sector (these plug-in hybrids are called range extended electric vehicles, thus REEV, in the UK). The UK government announced yesterday that REEVolution, part of the UK's Integrated Delivery Programme Competition for Low Carbon Vehicles, would be given £9.5million.

The makers of the little Think City fit into the consortium through Think's experience with electric powertrains. The automaker will supply the electric vehicle drivetrain controller and other advanced components to the consortium. Think spokesman Jon Harmon said, "This is an important step forward in global EV development and Think is right in the thick of it."

The program's goals are to improve the results of a previous project that Jaguar Land Rover and Lotus Engineering did called Limo Green (pictured). That extended-range electric Jaguar XJ got around 47 mpg (U.S.) on the EU combined cycle with a 30-mile electric range and CO2 emissions under 120 grams per kilometer. REEVolution will "develop components and systems, as demonstrated on Limo Green, onto global levels of quality and reliability as required by production vehicles." Who wouldn't want all that in a production Jaguar XJ?

Autocar associate editor Hilton Holloway recently attended a two-day technical briefing on BMW's Megacity Vehicle project and, while he admits that the pure electric Megacity is fascinating in its own right, it's the possibility of BMW introducing a range-extended version at a later date that has him grinning from cheek to cheek. Holloway firmly believes that the range-extended setup is the most promising form of advanced vehicle technology available right now. He describes the virtues of range-extended technology and the drawbacks of pure electric vehicles this way:

One of the biggest problems for pure-electric vehicles is not just the driver's 'range anxiety' but also the huge draw on battery power required by lights and heating in winter. Cold weather also wallops the battery's performance. Using a range-extender layout fixes these problems and should be no more expensive than a pure electric car. The key about combining a petrol engine/generator and battery pack is that it can deliver the performance of a big internal combustion engine along with very low emissions of both CO2 and pollutants.

Holloway backs up some of his claims by referring to the abilities of vehicles such as Jaguar's Limo Green project and the Vauxhall Ampera, both of which are prime examples of range-extended technology. Finally, Holloway closes with this prediction:

Ten years from now, the Mk5, all-aluminium, Range Rover will weigh 1900kg, be powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine/generator and compact battery pack. It will be good for 135g/km and the air coming out of the exhaust will have lower pollutant levels than the air going into the engine. Try calling that a gas-guzzler.

That's an appealing vision and it makes us bring up the oft-asked question: Will the future of automobiles (long term, say 15-20 years from now) be driven by range-extender technology, or is it more likely that pure electric vehicles will dominate?

Tata Motors chief executive officer, Carl-Peter Forster, hinted to Autocar that Jaguar's entire lineup of entry-level luxury vehicles will carry the XE moniker and come in "several variations." Meanwhile, Mark White, the company's chief technical specialist, told a trade magazine that he hopes to utilize a mixed-material bodyshell that incorporates "steel for the box sections" and aluminum for the "floorpans, roof panels and doors." White said this hybrid bodyshell would reduce weight at a "minimum cost." And as we all know, reduced weight leads to increased efficiency, so the minimal expense is probably money well spent as Jaguar looks to meet upcoming CAFE standards that will impact the entire industry by 2016.

The first three-month period of an electric vehicle trial in the UK is complete and it turns out the fleet of of 25 Mitsubishi iMiEVs has been running an average of 23 miles a day and have been parked 97 percent of the time. The majority of individual trips were under five miles, making electric vehicles an ideal choice as long as there is somewhere to plug them in and keep them charged. During the three months from January to March 2010, the cars were used by drivers throughout their speed range, including both city and motorway driving.

The project, dubbed CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators), is running in the English midlands with a variety of vehicles and more to come. The total fleet size will be 110 vehicles. Additional vehicles for the fleet include plug-in hybrids and the extended range electric Jaguar XJ. It would be interesting to know if the limited mileage being put on the iMiEVs is because drivers are aware of its limitations and only using the car when they know they won't run out of juice or this truly represents the most common driving these people are doing. Perhaps breaking down the data comparing BEVs and PHEVs/EREVs will give us a clearer picture.

Since we're already aware that Land Rover is working on some hybrid products for the near future, it only seems fitting that Jaguar would join in too. The report from UK-based Car magazine claims that Jaguar will have a hybrid-electric car ready for debut by 2013. Car adds that the vehicle will be powered by a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 that's joined by an electric motor and connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission. According to the report, the hybrid powertrain will command a premium of about $15,000 (U.S.) over traditional powerplants and is expected to be available on the XJ and XF first, followed by the rest of the Jaguar lineup later on.

To confirm the report, Green Car Advisor contacted Jaguar and the company responded stating that the claims are "speculation" but did admit that it has been actively working with three other companies on a hybrid powertrain with hopes of a finished product capable of achieving more than 55 miles per gallon while also maintaining the brand's "premium" image. We have reason to believe that the report from Car magazine is accurate and suspect that Jaguar will come forth with a formal announcement soon, but for now we'll have to keep a rumor tag on this one.

The Jaguar XF lives in very competitive segment alongside the BMW 5 series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6. All three of those cars offer something Jaguar does not: a four-cylinder diesel engine. This is a curious situation, since 80 percent of all 5 series sales are the four-cylinder 520d model in Jaguar's home market in the UK.

That situation looks set to change this fall when the XF will get the 2.2-liter inline-four diesel from the Land Rover Freelander. Jaguar is currently modifying the engine, which was designed for transverse mounting in the Freelander, to be longitudinally mounted in the XF. The diesel is expected to be mated with an automatic transmission with automatic start-stop. This configuration should get the XF's CO2 emissions under 150 g/km (like the new Lotus Elise!). Unfortunately, we are unlikely to see this model in the U.S. market.

So far, aside from a couple of concepts and test vehicles, Jaguar and Land Rover haven't made much of a dent in the vehicle electrification space. Adding electric drive to a vehicle requires new kinds of engineering expertise, the kind that JLR had access too when the companies were part of the Ford family. Now that the British premium brands belong to India's Tata Motors, the recruiters in Coventry are looking for some extra help.

JLR is looking to hire 50 new engineers with expertise in hybrid drive, electrical and software as well as infotainment systems. JLR is already picking up 45 apprentices and 80 fresh-out-of-school engineers this year and is looking for more experience with the latest batch of recruits. If you're eligible to work in the UK, check out the job postings here.

Jaguar-Land Rover has joined up with a new low carbon vehicle partnership to research and test concepts to cut fuel consumption. The £29 million project is being funded by the automaker, six partner companies, Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund. One of the key elements to improving efficiency will be improving the electronic management of the powertrain and vehicle dynamics.

The goal will be to optimize these systems in order to minimize the losses that come when the vehicle starts slipping or the wheels are spinning. These same systems are also integrated into functions like adaptive cruise control. With appropriate programming, the adaptive cruise control can adjust the gap distances to miminize the deceleration and acceleration and, presto, help lower fuel consumption.